Pesto Pasta Salad

Name: Pesto Pasta Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 4 cups cooked Farfalle pasta; 3/4 cup basil pesto (homemade ot sotre bought); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 cup grape/cherry tomatoes; 8 oz fresh mozzarella (cut into small pieces); salt (to taste); pepper (to taste); basil leaves (to garnish)

By Manali Singh

Jun 14, 2016, Updated Jan 02, 2018

Fresh Pesto Pasta Salad made with homemade pesto, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. An easy summer salad!

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Fresh Pesto Pasta Salad with homemade basil pesto, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. An easy summer salad for everyone to enjoy.

When I was little, I didn’t really like summers. Well I don’t think anyone in India likes summers. It’s so hot, temperature is almost always 110F degrees + and on top of that there are power cuts for hours and days. So obviously what’s fun in sweating in that much heat without even a fan? No fun right? But the only think that made me happy during those horrible summers was, yes ice cream. I have always said that ice cream is probably the only thing I can never get tired of eating. And there’s nothing like “too much” for me when it comes to ice creams. Buying ice cream from these little carts and then enjoying them with family was the best part about summers back home.

And that hasn’t changed even now. For me summer fun and ice creams go together, hand in hand. Whether it’s family get together, BBQ, potlucks or any other celebration, I always make sure to have my favorite ice cream on the menu. And my absolute favorite is DREYER’S Ice Cream! love the fact that DREYER’S Ice Cream is made with real, simple ingredients & has no artificial color, flavors or GMO ingredients. My current favorite is DREYER’S SLOW CHURNED® Caramel Delight Light Ice Cream. Well I adore caramel, so no surprises there! And of course the good old vanilla always has to be on the menu.

Along with ice cream, summer also means easy recipes. You see there are so many fun parties to attend and so I am always trying to make something quick and delicious which can be carried easily and is also enjoyed by everyone. Enter my fresh pesto pasta salad! It’s easy, fresh and perfect for summers. You can use homemade or store bought pesto in this recipe, I have used my homemade basil pesto here. This salad comes together in 15 minutes if you have pesto ready to go. Practically boiling the pasta in the only time this recipe takes. Once the pasta is done, you simply need to toss everything together and serve. So easy!

This pesto pasta salad is the perfect accompaniment to ice creams at your summer celebration. I hope you guys give this pesto pasta salad a try and celebrate togetherness with DREYER’S this summer!

Method

Cook the pasta according to instructions on the package. Make sure not to overcook the pasta here, you should be able to bite into it. Once cooked, drain and transfer pasta to a large bowl. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and then add cherry/grape tomatoes to it and mix.

Stir in your favorite pesto and mix till well combined. You may use homemade or store bought pesto. I used my simple basil homemade pesto here.

Now chop fresh mozzarella cheese into small pieces and add it to the salad bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon.

Add salt, pepper to taste and mix. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and enjoy your fresh pesto pasta salad!

I found DREYER’S SLOW CHURNED® Caramel Delight Light Ice Cream and DREYER’S SLOW CHURNED® Vanilla Light Ice Cream in the frozen section at my local Walmart! Make sure to follow DREYER’S Ice Cream on Facebook and Instagram! There will be also be demos in June for DREYER’S Ice Cream. Check here to find if there’s one at your local market. Make sure to attend it, you will definitely have loads of fun!